Electric switch



June 6, 1933. H. A. DouGLAs ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed 0G12. 14, 1931 ffarryzgz.:

ffy @uw Patented June 6, 1933 HARRY A. DoUGLAs, or BnoNsoN, MICHIGANELECTRIC SWITCH Application filed October 14, 1931'. Serial No.'568.668.

This invention relates to switches and 3 of a bearing member in the formof the cylindrical sleeve 4, which passes through an appropriatemounting such as the dash more particularly to electric switchesadaptedto control a plurality of electric circuits.

Among other objects the invention aims to provide a selective fourposition electric switch comprising means for actuating the switchdirectly from one position to any one of the three other positions.

In one aspect, the invention is inclusive of 1 an improved constructionyof switch of the so-called toggle type embodying a tiltable bridgemember which may be directly moved from any one of four operativepositions to any one of the three other positions without first passingthrough any other operative position, one of saidj operative positionsconstituting the oi position of the switch and the other operativepositions constituting circuit closing positions, the movement into 0 agiven operative position desirably taking place with a snap to enhancethe positive action of the switch.

The invention will be understood by reference to thel illustrativeembodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing, in

which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view o' one form of switchstructure embodying my invention and showing, in full and dotted lines,two selective positions of the switch;

.Figure 2 is a left-hand end view of the structure of Figure 1, on asomewhat reduced scale, and indicating diagrammatical- 1y representativecircuits controlled by the switc Figure 3 is a right-hand end view ofthe structure of Figure 1, also on a reduced scale, and showing legendsindicating vario ous selective positions of the switch; and

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4 4 of Flgure 1,-0na reducedscale, showing the dotted elements of Figure 1 in full lines.

Referrin in detail to the figures of the drawing, t e illustrativestructure includes a cylindrical casing 1 preferably of metal and openat both ends. At one end the casing has an angular portion disposedinwardly to form the annular flange. 2. ,The flange 2 is firmly clampedbetween the double flange board 5 of an automobile. exteriorly threadedto receive the knurled The sleeve 4 is ring 6 which clamps the sleeve,and with it the casing, to the mounting, a legend bearing plate 7 beingalso advantageously clamped between the ring and the mounting.

The mounting and plate. are desirably keyed to the sleeve by projections8 directed inwardly of the openings in the mounting and plate throughwhich the sleeve passes and cooperating with a slot 9 in the sleeve toinsure that the sleeve (together with the casing 1) shall occupy onlyone rotative position with respect to the mountingand legend plate. Thecontacts (presently described) carried by the casing are given a similarpredetermined rotative position so that the legends on the plate arecoordinated with the positions of the respective contacts.

These legends, in this instance, Dash, Off and Courtesy variousselective positions of the switch to be are Park, indicating presentlyexplained.

In the present construction, the opposite end of the casing 1 is closedb a pair of insulating blocks 10 and 11. T e casing may be enlarged atthis end to form an internal shoulder 12 limiting. the inward movementof the block 10. This enlarged end of the casin the block 11. Projectinginwardly into the casing through the disc 10 are a number of has ears 13which are clinched over current conducting abutment members constitutinga central contact 14 and contacts complementary to the central contact,and grouped thereabout, such as the circumferentially disposed contacts15,16 and 17. An

abutment member 18 is also disposed inthe circumferential arrangement,for a purpose presently pointed out, but this abutment is discontinuedat 19 and is not a current conductor, constituting instead the off po-`1"? have an angular continuation 20 which is clampd between the discs10 and 11 and the mem rs 15, 16 and 17 have, other angular 100 portions21 which together with the portion 19 are turned to lie in a notch inthe riphery of the disc 11, thereby maintaimng the parts in assembly.

As here shown, the current conducting abutment constituting the centralcontact 14 includes a spring pressed plunger 22 coaxial with the casing1, having one end closed and dome shape to provide the contact 14 andhaving its other end open and flanged as at 23 to slide in an enlargedportion of the spring barrel 24 which passes through the insulatingdiscs 10 and 11 and telescopingly receives the plunger. A coil spring 25is also jointly housed by the spring barrel and plunger and presses uponthe base of the spring barrel and the closed end of the plunger to urgethe latter axially of the casing 1.

The enlarged portion of the spring barrel 24 forms a shoulder 26 whichcooperates with the flange 23 on the plunger 22 to limit the outwardmovement of the plunger in the barrel. The exterior of this shoulderedportion may be conveniently spun over the insulating disc 11 to providea retaining lip 27 between which and a terminal flange 28 on the base ofthe barrel, the disc 11 is clamped. Between the flange 28 and the discl1 is also clamped an angular continuation of a binding post 29.

The continuations 21 of the abutment members 15, 16 and 17 are furtherextended to form binding posts 30 and to the binding posts 29 and 30, bymeans of binding screws 31 associated therewith, lead wires may beconnected as presently described.

A current conducting bridge here represented by a disc 32 having a bodyof insulating material and having a metal surface 33 appropriatelysecured to the insulating body is arranged to continuously abut thecentral contact 14 as by having a shallow cup-shaped depression 34formed in its face in which the dome-shaped contact 14 seats, the discbeing thus adapted to swivel on the contact as by a ball and socketengagement. The insulatin body of the disc 32 is engaged by the ob-likenose 35 of an actuator 36, which is passed through sleeve 4. Theactuator 36 has alspherical portion 37 which has a bearing in the sleeve4 constitutting a universal joint, the sleeve 4 having an annularspheroidal surface 38 with which the spherical portion 37 of theactuator cooperates. The assembly of the actuator 36 and the sleeve 4may be readily effected by inserting the actuator into the sleeve 4through the interior ofthe casing 1 before the other switch parts areaembled therewith, and the subsequent assembly of thesaid switch partsmaintains the actuator 1n its bearing in the sleeve. Theactuatorterminates exteriorly of the casing 1 in the handle 39 rigidly securedtothe spherical portion 37. By means of the handle the actuator may bereadily swivelled upon its universal joint so that the nose 35 of theactuator may move in a circular path on the disc 32 and thus tilt thedisc, so as to cause the metal surface 33 thereof to continuously engagethe central contact 14 and selectivel any one of the abutment members15, 16, 1 or 18. When the actuator is placed in position to tilt thedisc 32 against the abutment member 18, the switch is in oil osition,since no lead wire is connected to t e abutment member 18. The abutmentmember 18, however, serves as a stop to keep the disc from tilting toofar so as to become objectionably displaced.

By means of the insulated lead wire 40 the central contact 14 may be inpermanent electrical connection .with one side of the grounded battery41 which, where the invention is employed in conjunction with anautomobile, may have its other side grounded to the metal frame of thecar. When the disc 32 is tilted, in the manner described, to abut thecentral contact and say the contact 15, a circuit is established throughthe grounded battery, lead wire 40, contact 14, metallic surface 33 ofthe disc 32, contact 15, insulated lead Wire 42 and through the groundedfilament of a service light such as courtes light 43. This light may belocated in t e vicinity of the running board of an automobile to guardagainst missteps by passengers in entering and alighting from thevehicle. Similarly, when the actuator is further swivelled, this firstcircuit is broken and the disc 32 ma be tilted to cause it to abut, forexample, t e central contact 14 and contact 17, thus establishing acircuit through the grounded battery 41, lead wire 40, contact 14,metallic surface 33, contact 17, insulated lead wire 44 and throu h thegrounded filament of a dash light 45, or example. This light may belocated upon the dash board of an automobile to illuminate theinstruments in the usual manner.

A ain the actuator may be swivelled to brea the last mentioned circuitand cause the disc 32 to be tilted to abut the central contact 14 andsay the double contacts 16.

It will be noted that the handle 39 is here intended to occupy, in thisinstance, four circumferential operative positions with rect to thesleeve 4, there bein notches in ll bore of the. sleeve to locate t ehandle in these positions. When the` handle is in notch 46, for example,the handle points to the word Dash and the disc 32 is obviously tiltedin the opposite direction to cause it to abut the central contact 14 andthe contact 17 to illuminate the dash light 45. (It should be borne inmind that Figures 2 and 3 are looking at the switch in oppositedirections). When the actuator is swivelled to place the handle in thenotch 47, the handle points in thedirection of the word. Courtesy andthe disc 32 is tilted in the opposite direction to abut the centralcontact 14 and the contact 15 to illuminate the courtes light 43. f

As shown in .the drawing, the contacts 15 and 17 are diametricallyaligned with the notches 46 and 47, but it will be noted that there aretwo contacts 16 spaced equally short distances on each side of adiameter passing through a notch 48. Consequently, when the handle islocated in notch 48 it will point to the legend Park, the disc 32 willbe tilted in the opposite direction and the metal surface 33 of the disc32 will abut both of the contacts 16 and thus, as shown in the presentexemplification, circuits will be established through the groundedbattery 41, lead 40, central contact 14, one of the contacts 16,4insulated lead wire 49 and `through each of the grounded filaments ofparking lights 50, which may be located on the cowl of the automobile;At the same time another circuit will be established through the othercontact 16, the insulated lead wire 51 and through the grounded filament(not shown) of a tail lamp 52. Thus, as is usually desirable, the taillamp will be lighted at all times when the parkingl lights are lighted.The tail lamp may have another connection (Which is not here shown) formaintaining it lighted when the parking lights are off, and, say, whenthe driving lights of the car are on.

It will be observed that I have provided resilient means between thecentral contact and the nose of the actuating member (in this instancethe spring 25), whereby the disc 32 is yieldingly maintained inengagement with a ulcrum, in this instance, the nose 35 of the actuator36, to tilt the disc to the various positions indicated, depending uponthe position of the fulcrum on the disc circumferentially with respectto the abutment which includes the central contact 14. Since the disc istherefore yieldingly pressed upon its ulcrum, the nose 35 of theactuator may describe not only a circular path upon the'disc 32, butalso may be moved radially thereon to permit the handle 39 to be movedradially out of one of the notches in the sleeve 4 and into anothernotch. In other words, the nose 35 has a wiping engagement with the body32 of the bridge member. Furthermore, the resilient me'ans describedpermits the handle 39 to be moved diametrically across the sleeve 4', soas to be moved directly, for example, from notch 46 to notch47 withoutfirst being moved to any other notch in the sleeve. So constructed andarranged, the switch is entirely selective since it may be actuateddirectly from one position to any one of the three other positionsshown, as, for example, 1t may be actuated from tlie"off positionillustrated 1n Figure 3 directly to anyone of the three on positionsDash, Park or Courtesy, to immediately light any one of these lights asdescribed withoutirst lighting one of the others. The resilient meansdescribed also causes the handle tosnap into the selected notch, notonly facilitating ease of selection and actuation of the switch, butalso positively actuating the switch to its various operative positions.l

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the control of the circuitshereindescribed or to the specific details of construction here shownfor purposes of illustration.

Having described the embodiment of my invention, I claim: Y

1. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form of acurrent conducting abutment, complementary contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments disposed about the central Contact, abridge member having a metallic face continuously abutting said centralcontact and tiltable thereon to selectively abut one of theconiplementary contacts, and means for tilting said member, said meansengaging the member at a plurality of points on said memberspacedcircumferentially about the central control.

2. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form of acurrent conducting abutment, complementary contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments circumferentially disposed to the centralcontact, a bridge member having a metallic face continuously abuttingsaid central' contact and tiltable to selectively abut one of thecomplementary contacts, an actuator movable on a circular pat-h on thebridge member for tilting said member; Aand means for determining theselective positions of the actuator.,

3. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form of acurrent conducting abutment, complementary contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments circumferentially disposed tothe centralcontact, a bridge member having a metallic face continuously abuttingsaid central contact and tiltable to selectively abut one of thecomplementary contacts, an actuator for tilting sa-id member, a bearingfor the actuator, and interengaging means between the bearing and theactuatorfor determining the selective positions of the bridge member. K

4. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form ofk acurrent conducting abutment, complementary contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments disposed about the central contact andcircumferentially spaced apart, an insulating disc having a metal facecentrally abutting said central Contact and tiltable to selectively abutone of the complementary contacts, and an ,actuator having a nosemovable in a circular path on the insulating disc to tilt the disc,whereby the metal face abuts the central contact and one of thecomplementary contacts.

5' 5. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form of acurrent conducting abutment, complementary contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments circumferentially disposed to the centralcontact, a bridge member having a metallic face continuously abuttingsaid central contact and tiltable thereon to selectively abut one of thecomplementary contacts, an actuating member for-tilting the bridgemember, said actuating member having a nose movablev in a circular pathon the bridge member, and resilient means between the central contactand 'the nose of the actuating member for causing a snap action of theactuator.

6. An electric switch comprising a'central Contact in the form of acurrent conducting abutment, complementary contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments circumferentially disposed to the centralconi tact, a bridge member having a metallic face continuously abuttingsaid central contact ,and tiltablethereon to selectively abut one of thecomplementary contacts, an actuating member pivoted in a universal jointfor tilt- 80 ing the bridge member, said actuating member having a nosemovable in a circular path on the bridge member, and resilient meansbetween the central contact and the nose of the actuating member forcausing a snap 85 action of the actuator.

7. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form of aspring pressed current conducting abutment, complementary contacts inthe form of current conducting D' abutments circumferentially disposedto the central contact, a bridge member having a metallic facecontinuously abutting the central contact and tiltable thereon toselectively abut one of the. complementary contacts,

and an actuating member for tilting the bridge member, said actuating,member being pivoted in a bearing to form a universal joint therewithand having a nose movable in a circular path on the bridge member and 50also movable diametrically.

8. An electric switch comprising a central contact in the form of aspring pressed current conducting abutment, complementary contacts inthe form of current conducting 55 abutments circumferentially disposedto the central contact, a bridge member having a metallic facecontinuously abutting the central contact and tiltable thereon toselectively abut one of the complementary contacts,

an actuating member for tilting the bridge member, said actuating memberbein pivoted in a bearin to form a universa joint therewith and avin anose movable 1n a circular path on the bridge member, and

'.65 interengaging means between the bearing and the actuatordetermining the selective positions of the actuator.

9. An electric toggle switch comprising a central contact in the form ofa spring pressed current conducting abutment, contacts in the form ofcurrent conducting abutments disposed circumferentially around thecentral contact, some of said circumferential abutments constitutingcomplementary contacts for the central contact and one of said abutmentsconstituting the olf position of the switch, an insulating disc having ametallic face continuously abutting the central contact and tiltable toselectively abut one of the circumferential abutments, an actuatingmember having a nose engaging the insulating disc and movable thereon ina circular path, said nose providing a fulcrum upon which the disc istilted by the action of the springpof the central contact to engage oneof the complementary contacts, a s eeve bearing for the actuatingmember, said sleeve bearing and said actuating member havinginterengaging means providing a universal joint for the movement of theactuating member, a handle on the actuating member projecting from thesleeve bearing on the side opposite from the nose of the actuator, andcircumferential notches in the sleeve bearing to receive the handle anddetermine the selective positions of the actuator.

l0. An electric switch comprising a contact in the form of a currentconducting abutment; abutments including a complementary currentconducting abutment disposed about the first abutment; a disc-likebridge member having a metallic face continuously abutting the firstabutment by a ball and socket engagement and tiltable thereon toselectively abut one of the other abutments; means for tilting saidbridge member; and resilient yieldable means for retaining the bridgemember in said tilted position.

11. An electric, switch comprising a metallic casing; an insulatedcontact in the form of a current conducting abutment carried by thecasing; abutments carried by but insulated from the casing including acomplementary current conductingabutment disposed about the firstabutment; a bridge member havin a metallic face continuously abuttingthe rst abutmentby a ball and socket engagement and tiltable thereon toselectively abut one of the other abutments; an actuator carried by thecasing for tilting the bridge member, said actuator having a. wipingengagement with the bridge member; a.' coil spring pressing said firstabutment transversely of the bridge member; and means for insulating themetallic face of the bridge member from the casing.

12. An electric switch comprising a contact in the form of a centralcurrent conducting abutment; at least three other abutments including aplurality of'complementary current conducting abutments disposed aboutlthe I central abutment; a metallic bridge member having continuousabutting engagement with the central abutment and swmgable thereabout toselectively -abut each of the other abutments; 'an insulated actuator incontinuous abutting frictional engagement withthe bridge member andmovable to at least three pointson an arc of a circle to swing thebridge member to its selective positions; a bearing for the actuator; abearing, portion on the actuator providing 15 a universal joint with thebearing, both said engagements being maintained by said abutments incooperation with said bearing; a handle on the actuator extendingthrough the bearing oppositely from said abutments;

at least three circumferential notches in the bearing receiving thehandle to determine the selective posltions of the actuator; andresilient yieldable means for maintaining the bridge member and actuatorin said selective positions.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS.

